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Chester County commissioners approve farmland preservation certification, contracts and grants; public calls for more budget transparency
Summary
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $2,362,000 certification for farmland preservation, multiple contracts including a $315,050 housing contract and a $289,000 drug-and-alcohol services amendment, and grants including HIDTA awards; public comment raised concerns about budget transparency.
Chester County commissioners on Wednesday approved a package of routine business: the county's annual farmland preservation certification, several contract actions and grant awards.
Director Dave Stauffer told the board the county's 2026 certification amount for state farmland preservation funding is $2,362,000; he said Chester County has preserved more than 600 farms. Commissioners approved the certification by voice vote.
The board also approved contract items across departments. Community Development Director Dolores Colligan presented a $315,050 contract with Open Heart Incorporated to provide rental assistance and hotel respite services, funded fully by the Pennsylvania HealthChoices Fund. Jamie Johnson, director of Drug and Alcohol Services, described a roughly $289,000 contract amendment with Compassmark to continue services through June 2026. The court administration requested one-month extensions for conflict counsel contracts for Stuart Crichton (criminal conflict counsel) and Kristin Malabaki (dependency counsel). The Treasurer's Office was authorized to provide tax-collection services to Willistown Township for two years; the record described that as a revenue-producing contract but did not specify an amount.
The district attorney's office was listed as the recipient of two awards from the Liberty Mid-Atlantic High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program to support gun-intelligence analysts; the meeting record did not include award amounts. Juvenile Probation Deputy Chief Jewel Jones presented the department's annual juvenile probation services grant from the state Juvenile Court Judges' Commission; Jones said the grant requires submission of an improved implementation plan and carries no county match. Commissioners approved the contracts and grants by voice votes with no discussion recorded.
During non-agenda public comment, John Luther of New London Township urged the board to improve budget transparency. He said budget changes often appear shortly before meetings, providing insufficient time for public review, and alleged substantial spending increases in 2024 that he said could lead to higher taxes. The board did not take action on the request during the meeting.
Next procedural steps noted in the meeting included an election board meeting set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. to review voter-services reports.
